“Momma! Look at all dese nature treasures!”

Ellie is what I like to call my wildflower. She’s dreamy and imaginative and can frequently be found wandering around in circles, getting lost in her own world. She’s the type that will go out into the backyard and start singing softly to the flowers (or, more accurately, the “flowlers”). She’ll pick a handful of her favorites and rest them gingerly in the window of her playhouse. When I heard about Tinkergarten, I just knew I had to sign her up.

Designed to allow kids from 18-months to 8-years old explore and learn with nature as their classroom, Tinkergarten is a great alternative to typical kids classes. Free flowing and laid back, you don’t have to worry about kids not being attentive or getting distracted by an army of ants marching along a log—that type of exploration is completely encouraged by Tinkgergarten leaders.

I don’t know about you, but my kids get bored all year round. Like, whining, fighting, make-me-want-to-pull-my-freakin-hair-out bored. Yet, for some reason, the only times of the year that people talk about keeping them occupied are during the summer and the winter.

What the cuss?! (Sorry, we just watched The Fantastic Mr. Fox this weekend and I just can’t stop). I mean, I guess it makes sense since summer and winter breaks are when they’re in our hair and non-stop bored the most. But right now I could really use some fall boredom busters. Like, stat.

I wrote a post last week for NY Metro Parents about a doing an easy DIY fall scavenger hunt with the kids. Aside from being adaptable to pretty much any situation, scavenger hunts are quick and simple ways to get the kids outside and distract them from anything they may be considering throwing a tantrum about.

Even better? You can bring the treasures they find inside (as long as they’re not wet and gross, of course) and let them go craft crazy.

Check out what we did…

Ahhh…

The sun is shining, the breeze is refreshing and the humidity is incredibly low. The weather in NY today couldn’t be any more perfect. With heat and humidity in the forecast by mid week, it’s an ideal day for a picnic…

by 22 and Love

A Very Story

picnic attire

1 Jessica Simpson :: 2 NY Metals :: 3 Lands’ End (no longer available) :: 4 Brooklyn Arts (no longer available)

picnic accessories

1 Nstar Studio :: 2 Haven Vintage :: 3 Vinca Vintage (no longer available)
4 Bird in Hand Vintage

Emery Drive

A Very Story

A Very Story

I love flowers and greenery, but year after year I kill off my plants. I generally start off being super excited about them, but after a week or two the poor little things begin to be neglected.

By mid-summer my pots and planters no longer hold pretty flowers in a variety of vibrant colors. Instead they hold their scorched remains.

I’m sure that’s why I’m really attracted to succulents lately. These camel-like plants can survive in the driest of desserts. They’ve got to be hardy enough to survive my black thumb!

I really like the idea of using them as decor around the house. Not only does it add a little bit of greenery to your life, but they’re a really unique decorative touch—and you can get the look for really cheap if you’re willing to do a little work.

1 :: 2 :: 3 :: 4

There are lots of places on the web where you can find tutorials on making your very own terrarium. I love the DIY idea, especially since you can reuse old things that you otherwise would have gotten rid of. Design*Sponge recently featured a before and after post where someone turned a big old paneled chandelier into one (below right).

The process seems pretty simple:

1. Find a cool glass container. I love the way apothecary jars look. I’ve also seen some pretty cool light bulb versions.
2. Fill the bottom with some rocks (for drainage), a layer of horticulture charcoal (to avoid a funky stench) and a layer of potting soil. You can also use Spanish moss between the charcoal and the soil to keep the soil from sinking down into the rocks.
3. Next you need some plants in a pretty arrangement. Try to find different shades of green and plants with different shapes to create visual interest.
4. Put in a bit more potting soil in to secure the plants.
5. Water with a spray bottle when necessary.

Sounds pretty simple, no? I think even I can handle this one!